The Table Dad Made - Oct 2020

We've used an old hand-me-down cheap kitchen table for 8 years (the whole time we've lived here in Brighton). It was in terrible shape after years of abuse by toddlers and it's previous life as Mom's craft table. And it only had space to comfortably fit four chairs (which worked until Helen graduated from the high chair...4 years ago). We would pull a chair from the dining room into the kitchen for dinners with all five of us, but as Jacob has been working from home since March, we eat most meals altogether (other than breakfast) and our kitchen table set up felt very haphazard as we squeezed everyone in. 

In April 2015 a beautiful red oak fell in our backyard (while we were eating in the kitchen - it was an impressive sight to witness... Thankfully it crashed in a direction away from the kitchen!). It was a quiet day, with minimal wind, so the sound and sight of the crash was quite a surprise. An investigation found a rotten section, but parts of the tree still in good shape.

Jacob decided to learn how to make it into boards (with the help of his friend Ben and his Alaskan sawmill), let it cure (for a LONG time), and research how to make us a live edge table. This project sat on hold for a while, even longer than necessary to cure. But finally, with the extra time at home this year, Jacob got around to spending the time on it required. He sanded it down, glued two halves together, covered it in epoxy, and bought handmade legs to attach. He even incorporated (in one of the holes he filled with epoxy) a Petoskey stone and some other rocks the kids found in the U.P. and polished in their rock tumbler. We are so proud of his hard work! He learned a lot in the process. When he looks at the table now, he can see areas that he could have done better now that he's learned more. But its lovely imperfections are merely part of its charm, in my eyes!

The finished product was placed on sturdy metal legs. The atmosphere of our kitchen has completely changed, and we now find ourselves lingering at the table more. Because we have the space now, we can actually bring the food to the table for "family style" meals instead of our previous buffet style. It's honestly inspired Mom to prepare more creative, wholesome, and homemade meals (gyros with homemade pita and homemade tzatziki sauce to utilize our leftover leg of lamb roast, anyone?). Of course, the sourdough starter ("Abe") living in our fridge has also helped with that innovation streak. And, since we can't have as new experiences or travel to so many new places right now, Mom feels more adventurous in the kitchen than ever before. Maybe being home so much has brought out more of the "homemaker" in her. But that naturally beautiful new table created a space for family time and that's certainly been an inspiration!

The effort and time that went into this project may have been more than we expected or initially hoped. We've learned lessons in how to do it better in the future. But the end product was worth the wait. Maybe the slow refining happening in our own lives will prove similarly profitable in the end.

Here we are, enjoying it fully for an Author Access with Oge Mora (vase of wildflowers courtesy of one of the kids).